Low cholesterol levels in patients suffering from kidney cancer increases the risk of early death, a new research shows.
Researchers explain that the health care specialists, treating and monitoring those suffering from kidney cancer, should consider cholesterol levels as an important aspect.
Increasing evidence shows that alterations in cholesterol and other lipids are associated with the development, progression, and prognosis of various types of cancer. To assess the situation, researchers analysed the blood cholesterol levels in 867 patients with renal cell carcinoma prior to their kidney surgery. Following this, the patients were tracked for an average of 52 months.
Low blood cholesterol before treatment was linked to advanced tumor stages and cancer spread during follow-up. Patients with high cholesterol had 43 percent lower risk of dying from their cancer as compared to patients with low cholesterol. Researchers said that including patients' cholesterol levels with traditional risk factors increased the accuracy of prognoses.
However, it remains unclear how cholesterol affects kidney cancer patients' prognosis. It may be that certain components of cholesterol impact the activity of cancer-related pathways to affect tumor growth and spread.
"As this was a hypothesis-generating study, our findings should be confirmed in independent datasets. If confirmed, patients with low cholesterol may be considered high-risk and may be treated or followed up more aggressively," said Tobias Klatte, MD, of the Medical University of Vienna in Austria.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kidney cancer is among the 10 most common types of cancer in both men and women. Health experts at CDC say cigarette smoking is responsible for a large number of cases of kidney cancer. Quitting cigarette is advisable. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, choosing a diet high in fruits and vegetables, and getting treatment for high blood pressure may also lower your chance of getting this type of cancer.
